Who is Online Therapy For?
Online therapy can be helpful for those that are struggling with an issue in their life or a mental health condition that is affecting day to day activities. Our mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Online therapy can be helpful for anyone looking to take charge of their mental wellbeing.
Common Misconception: I can just speak to a friend
A common misconception about therapy is that it is unnecessary to see a therapist when you can just talk to a good friend. There’s a pervasive belief in our culture that simply the support of a good friend can substitute for therapy. Social support is important and valuable in providing love, support, and care. However, therapy is very different from relationships with friends and family.
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In therapy, it’s all about you.
A therapist, unlike a friend, doesn’t have a personal relationship with you outside of the therapy room. In therapy, the focus is on understanding your problems and mental health needs. In a friendship, it’s a relationship that is based on mutual support. When speaking to a therapist, even if it seems like a casual conversation, the therapist will not talk about their personal problems and ask for your support. In therapy, each session is devoted to you and your therapist is fully invested in discussing your issues and helping you work through them. A good therapist will be compassionate, supportive and helpful in achieving your goals in therapy.
A therapist will be objective and unbiased when looking at the situation and hearing your story.
With a therapist, you do not need to censor yourself or worry about over-burdening your therapist. When talking to a friend, you may worry about how you may be portrayed or unconsciously change the way you discuss your emotions, behavior and mental health condition. Speaking to a friend or family member may sometimes lead you to avoid, sidestep or sugarcoat certain topics because you may be anticipating their response to you.
A therapist is specifically trained in therapeutic conversation, assessment and interventions.
Therapists are highly trained professionals that have spent years learning and practicing how to diagnose and treat cognitive, emotional, behavioral and relational issues. Trained therapists are able to assess your condition and provide appropriate tools in therapy to help you improve your mental wellbeing.
In therapy, it is common to do work around re-framing your negative thinking patterns and beliefs and help you to identify any unhealthy behaviors. For example, you may discuss with your therapist about conflict in your relationship. Your therapist may help you identify poor communication skills and help you learn more effective ways to express your needs in a relationship.
Often, an outcome of therapy is learning better healthy, coping strategies to overcome current problems in your life, as well as set you up to learn how to overcome any challenges in the future.
Finally, a good therapist is legally and ethically obligated to maintain confidentiality about any discussion during therapy. You can speak freely with your therapist and work collaboratively on improving your mental well-being.
Common Misconception: I need to have a severe mental health issue to see a therapist
Online therapy can be beneficial for someone that may have poor mental health, even if they are not diagnosed with any mental health condition.
For example, prolonged stress or chronic stress results in a state of ongoing physiological arousal. Over time, the repeated activation of this stress response can take a toll on the body. This may lead to headaches, high blood pressure, diabetes, infertility, heart disease, overall lowered immunity, anxiety, and depression.
Talking to a professional therapist in therapy can help you improve your mental wellbeing. A trained therapist may be able to help you identify negative beliefs, thinking patterns and behaviors that may put you at risk of having unhealthy coping skills in response to challenging situations in life. Therapy can be helpful to prevent deterioration of your mental health.
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Managing Mental Health Issues
A professional therapist is experienced in treating a wide range of mental health conditions, including common conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, trauma, grief/loss, OCD, and more. Treating mental health issues with talk therapy may be recommended for certain cases, in combination with support groups and/or medication.
Who Online Therapy May Not Be Suitable For
It is important that you do not self-diagnose for any mental health condition. There are helpful resources that may help you to learn about common mental health problems and its symptoms. However, it is dangerous for anyone, other than a qualified psychotherapist to make a diagnosis for yourself or someone else.
In the first session of therapy, your therapist will assess whether you may be suitable for online therapy. Your trained therapist will perform an assessment of your condition and needs to determine whether online therapy is suitable for you. Online therapy may not be suitable for individuals with more severe and acute symptoms. As a client’s safety and mental wellbeing is the top priority, your therapist may decide to refer you to another mental health professional or resource that may be more suitable for you.
In seeking help for any mental health problems, seek consultation and help from a qualified mental health professional to ensure the best care for your wellbeing.
Common Care provides a full-service online therapy platform with the largest selection of qualified online therapists. After completing an initial intake assessment, we recommend suitable therapists based on your needs, preferences and goals in therapy. Begin therapy anytime, anywhere at affordable prices.
Our online therapy platform is not suitable for anyone in an emergency or life threatening situation, and if you or anyone you know is in this situation, please call emergency 999 or refer to the emergency resources provided.